Author: 206 Trans Liberation

“Thank you to everyone who has offered to volunteer with us to do some canvassing for ‪#‎I_873‬ at ‪#‎EthnicFest‬ next Sunday. We are grateful for all of your support! At this time, we are not needing any additional volunteers, but hope you will stop by our table to say hi, collect some swag, and share your story as a part of our advocacy project which focuses on local experiences within health, education, and criminal justice systems.

“Join us for a community forum to share, process, and heal. As details of Orlando massacre unfolded, so did varying layers of complexity. We learned that it took place at a popular Gay nightclub, putting the LGBTQ community on alert that a place of refuge was attacked. It occurred on “Latino Night” and later many of the victims’ names were notably of Latinx descent. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Muslim communities anticipated that they would all be labeled as terrorists. In addition to mourning and coping from another act of violence, various communities are grappling with issues of safety based on identity. Facilitated by Luzviminda “Lulu” Carpenter, Community Advocate and Radio Host of #LuluNation + Crew every Tuesday 7-9pm on hollowearthradio.org. Registration not required.”

Farmworkers Walk Out of Sakuma Fields- Workers Ask for Fair Wages Again

Burlington, WA- Ramon Torres president of Familias Unidas por la Justicia (FUJ), independent union, reported today close to 200 workers walked out of the Sakuma fields with growing frustration about the price per pound, and decreasing number of hours allowed to pick.

A smaller number of workers, members of FUJ, stayed behind trying to negotiate with Danny Weeden CEO of Sakuma Bros berries Farm. “Again we can’t say it often enough we need to negotiate a union contract to end the instability created by the piece rate wage process,” said Ramon Torres.

For Immediate Release July 21, 2016

Farmworkers Return to Sakuma Fields

Burlington, WA- Farmworkers at Sakuma Bros. Berry Farms that walked out from the fields yesterday morning due to with growing frustration about the price per pound, and decreasing number of hours allowed to pick, including members of Familias Unidas por la Justicia (FUJ), independent union, went back to work today when asked to pick in a different field.

Even tough workers agreed to go back to work, they were asked to leave the fields after only 4 hours and half of picking. Workers reported there were still many berries to be picked.

Sakuma farmworkers are professional berry harvesters; they can scope out a field and know the quality and quantity of the berries.

“This knowledge comes from years of experience not just harvesting berries but all kinds of fruit and vegetables along the West Coast,” said Ramon Torres President of FUJ, “this is why we know how to negotiate a fair wage for us and the company and why we need a contract at Sakuma, to stop these work stoppages, we need to work.”

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FUJ is an independent farmworker union in Burlington WA with 500 members fighting for a union contract with Sakuma Farms to ensure living wage salaries, fair treatment, respect and dignity of farmworkers”

“Join us for July Community Education Series (CES) Special Topic – We will not be divided: Connecting the struggles of Muslim and Queer communities

Historically, people in power have worked to divide marginalized groups – pitting black folks versus asian folks, queer folks versus people of color – using systems to divide us and keep us struggling against each other, rather than coming together and working to dismantle the structural oppression that divides us all. Particularly, in this time of intense anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment, and in the wake of the shooting in Orlando, we want to build solidarity between our movements – particularly between Queer and Muslim communities – and recognizing that there are many folks who hold multiple of these intersecting identities.

Join us to discuss the historical implications of divided movements, the particular role of faith-based organizing in our current political time, and how to build between Queer and Muslim Communities. Join us in declaring, “We will not be divided!”

Childcare provided upon request. This space is wheelchair accessible. We will strive to accommodate accessibility needs such as interpretation, materials ahead of time, etc. to the best of our ability. We ask that you let us know your needs by the 3rd Monday of each month (priyan@apichaya.org).”

For July, we will be doing Trikone Speaks from 3-4pm and then the regular potluck from 4-6pm!

Also – a lot of shit has gone down since our last gathering. Let’s hold each other tight and support one another.

Trikone Speaks: Writing Circle

TrikoneSpeaks is an ongoing conversation group for LGBTQ+ (those questioning are welcome too!) South Asians. We strive to create a safer space where Queer South Asians can be open about their feelings and experiences, connect with each other, and build new individual and collective skills.

This month we will using writing as a way of connecting with ourselves and each other. No experience necessary! Just bring your favorite notebook, pen, a piece you are working on in any form or stage, your favorite friend, or just an openness to explore. Our aim is just to engage with our selves and each other through writing.

We will do some free-writes together to connect with the page and ourselves, some group sharing for those who would like to share, and will do some writing exercise that help us bring depth to our writing and our understandings of ourselves and other. This TrikoneSpeaks is inspired by VONA!

You are more than welcome to come for TS and the potluck, or just one of the two! Don’t know anyone yet? We will have ice breakers 🙂 Please bring a dish to share if you are able.

This month’s event will be at an apartment that is tucked behind the University Village.

Accessibility: There are at least 6-8 steps up to the front door and the pathway is actually pretty uneven and please move carefully. This is not a scent free space.

Parking: Street parking is almost always easy to find and pretty open. If people are driving they can park anywhere there is an open spot.

Buses: There are many buses that drop off near NE 45th Street and Union Bay Place NE/Mary Gates Memorial Drive NE. Some options are the 65, 75, 31 from campus and it’ll drop you off pretty close to the house.

Please RSVP for exact address to trikonenorthwest@gmail.com or call/text 206.659.8029.

“Dear community,
On Thursday July 21st, Seattle University’s President Fr. Stephen Sundborg, SJ sent an email to the Seattle University community announcing Dean Jodi Kelly’s retirement from the school, alongside his praise of her history at SU and his appointment of her to the emeriti faculty in honor of her “distinguished service.” The email ends with a few sentences of reflection from Jodi Kelly herself.

The MRC Student Coalition recognizes Jodi Kelly’s departure from Seattle University as a success of years of organizing and a 24-day sit-in which prompted multiple investigations and countless testimonies. Fr. Sundborg’s failure to speak to the whole truth of the matter erases and disrespects all the trauma and pain suffered for years by students, alumni, faculty, and staff and the ongoing work currently being undertaken to address issues of culture, climate, and curriculum.

This email presents a very different narrative than what was depicted in a Seattle Times interview with Fr. Sundborg. In the interview, he admitted that eight Matteo Ricci College faculty wanted Jodi Kelly to step down, that there is campus-wide faculty solidarity, and that there is a history of complaints against Jodi Kelly. Fr. Sundborg even admitted: “I do have regrets … We should have been aware of it earlier on and responded to it more quickly,” going on to say, “Our number-one value is we listen to students first … I’m going to err on the side of listening.” Yet, his choice to praise Jodi Kelly and to award her after “listening” to his students, alumni, faculty, and staff indicates to us he has more listening to do.

This was a missed opportunity for Stephen Sundborg, Jodi Kelly, and the institution of Seattle University to take responsibility and demonstrate the Jesuit concept of cura personalis, or “care for the whole person.” Jodi Kelly demonstrated no learning nor responsibility as students, alumni, faculty, and staff publicly shared their experiences of harm and neglect. She had ample opportunity to do so, such as when she wrote to the SU Spectator publication, when she testified before SU Academic Assembly, and in her final note in this email from Fr. Sundborg.

Seattle University marketing says “Here We Dare.” One of the most daring actions a leader can take is to admit error and take responsibility for their actions. Instead of daring to challenge the status quo with accountable leadership, Fr. Sundborg chose to praise Jodi Kelly as well as award her with emeriti honor while ignoring the harm and trauma students, alumni, faculty, and staff have experienced. This is not justice. As a community, we all deserve better.

As Seattle University celebrates its 125th anniversary, we will continue to dare and challenge this institution and community to do better. While Jodi Kelly’s departure is a tremendous success, the university’s framing of her departure shows there is much work to be done. This institution of learning can and must center the people most vulnerable to institutional violence and empower us to leverage our many privileges towards collective liberation.
In an age of rising consciousness about systematic oppression all around the world, we need an education that leads to our liberation from these systems. Textbooks across the U.S. are being revised to be “patriotic” instead of truthful and relevant. Teachers in Oaxaca and Guerrero, Mexico are being killed fighting for their rights as teachers, for their migrant students, and for culturally-relevant education. Indigenous schools and educators providing relevant, decolonial education are being attacked across Mindanao in the Philippines. It is our collective duty to build a more just and humane world. We continue to demand a relevant education empowering all people to build that world together. Will Seattle University dare to provide it?

We end this statement in gratitude to the many people who labored before us, who labor with us today, and will continue to labor after us for our collective liberation.

After more than two years of hard-fought struggle, last year the militant, fighting rank and file of the Boston School Bus Drivers Union — ­United ­Steelworkers Local 8751 — won a historic victory against global giant Veolia/Transdev, one of the most notorious capitalist union busters, as well as ­Boston Public School bosses, Boston Mayor ­Marty Walsh and their media mouthpieces.

Four fired union leaders, out of work since October 2013 on bogus charges of leading a wildcat strike, went back to work on Dec. 23, 2015. In addition to rein­statement of the four with full senior­ity rights and a substantial monetary payment, the local won a contract with economic justice and the protection of 40 years of the collective bargaining process.

Solidarity is key to the Boston school bus drivers success. “Team Solidarity” has been building power among the working class through a 40+ year commitment to racial justice, disability justice, LGBT*Q rights, local struggle and anti-colonial/anti-imperialist struggle including solidarity with workers in Palestine.

These drivers are truly an inspiration and have so much knowledge and experience to share with us about solidarity and building power among the working class to push corporate power back.

**Veolia has been in the business of union busting for centuries. How did the Boston school bus drivers prevail?**

A commitment to racial justice: USW 8751 is a rank and file union with roots in the antiracist struggles of the 1970s and the desegregation of Boston schools in 1974. Today the union is 98% people of color, mostly Haitian and Cape Verdean immigrants and African American, Latin@ and Asian. Members including President Andre Francois are active in the Black Lives Matter movement and the Haitian liberation party Fanmi Lavalas of Boston.

A commitment to anti-colonial, anti-imperialist struggle: USW 8751 sent money to support the ANC in South Africa fighting apartheid. The union consistently stands in solidarity with our Palestinian trade union brothers and sisters, marching in the streets to stop Israeli assaults, free political prisoners, and put an end to apartheid and colonization. The school bus drivers have extended their solidarity to workers all over the world, most recently to Colombian unionists facing paramilitary terror. Even in the midst of its own struggle, Local 8751 participated in the United National Antiwar Coalition’s “Stop the Wars at Home and Abroad” conference in May, which drew more than 400 delegates from the U.S. and Canada.

A commitment to LGBT*Q rights: The very first contract of USW 8751 in 1977 had domestic partner benefits before this was widely recognized. The contract extended medical insurance, life insurance and all other benefits to partners of drivers in a “marital-like relationship”. In 1974 some of the founders of the union housed Leslie Feinberg (author of the cult classic trans* coming of age novel Stone Butch Blues) — they ran in the streets together standing up to racists and learned about being in solidarity with LGBT*Q folx and LGBT*Q struggles. This past year USW 8751 invited national trans* justice organizers to write the language around trans* inclusion and LGBT*Q rights which now appears in the new contract.

A commitment to disability justice: The union since its formation has worked in alliance with disabled folks under the leadership of the Disabled People’s Liberation Front. The union has worked with disabled activists to serve the disabled student population in Boston and in the broader disability rights movement marching for full accessibility and to defend gains they’ve been a part of winning, incl. full-service on the MBTA, and other state programs. USW 8751 has been a part of the campaign against so-called “sheltered workshops”, which exploit the labor of disabled people.

A commitment to local struggle: USW 8751 consistently stands and puts bodies on the line with those who are struggling in the local community — with other workers, students, parents, teachers, indigenous communities, communities being gentrified, disabled folks, LGBT*Q, immigrants, all who are oppressed. Together Team Solidarity and the community have so many impressive wins. The union local was a key part of the Coalition to Save Grove Hall Post Office, supporting all four postal worker unions in a successful fight that saved the post office in the heart of Boston’s African-American community.